Reinforced Structural Element for Screen Enclosures

ABSTRACT

A product, system and method for reinforcing structural members is provided. The invention includes an elongated beam having a plurality of walls, each of the plurality of walls forming an internal cavity including an interior surface and an exterior surface; a reinforcing material preferably a flowable, strong, conglomerate construction material that hardens and gains strength when cured, such as a cementious building material (e.g., cementious grout or foam), disposed within the internal cavity, whereby the cured reinforcing material and walls form a strong, composite structural member. The invention further comprises a layer of sealant and/or protectant applied on the interior surface of the walls of the beam to prevent interaction between the reinforcing material and the walls (e.g. aluminum or metal or alloy). The invention further comprises one or more reinforcing rods (e.g. rebar) extending from a slab into the internal cavity.

This application claims priority to Ser. No. 60/870,472 filed Dec. 18,2006 incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods and products for reinforcedstructural elements. More particularly this invention concernsreinforced structural elements comprising metal beams and columns filledwith cementious or form reinforcing material used in screen enclosuresand the like, including the process of making and installing same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Aluminum framing components, such as those used in the construction ofpool, patio and porch enclosures, are generally comprised of hollowaluminum extrusions which are fastened together. The hollow extrusionsused today have top and bottom walls and two sidewalls. They are used inscreen enclosures as beams, purlins, rails, upright columns and thelike. Generally, the larger the area of the enclosure, the bigger,stronger and heavier the extrusions must be in order to meet the designand structural loads and wind pressure resistance standards required bybuilding codes.

The new building codes require aluminum enclosures to be built towithstand higher wind speeds than ever before and significantly higherdesign pressures and structural loads than in the past. The result is anenclosure that must consist of heavier and larger beam members to meetthe same span and height criteria than was previously necessary underprior building codes.

Inasmuch as most of the screen enclosures used today are constructedfrom aluminum, and specifically, extruded aluminum, one of the mostcontemplated methods for use in designing such frames to meet wind loadrequirements in high wind prone areas, has been to increase column andbeam size and/or decrease structural member spacing of the aluminumenclosures themselves, which increases the overall cost of the product.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,888 discloses aluminum framing components andcomponent systems for pool, patio and glass enclosures and the like.Other patents disclosing reinforced structural components include: U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,826,885; 6,701,684; 6,341,467; 5,966,894; 5,942,173;5,921,053; 5,758,456; 5,471,809; 4,978,562; 4,944,545; and 4,852,322,each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

However, none of the systems disclosed in any of these patentsefficiently and inexpensively reinforce structural members. It is as aresult of this serious shortcoming in the field of reinforced structuralmembers that the present invention is being proposed.

All patents, patent applications, provisional applications, andpublications referred to or cited herein, or from which a claim forbenefit of priority has been made, are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with theexplicit teachings of this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a system and method of providingreinforced structural members. In an embodiment, the invention providesa structural member for use in forming a frame for an architecturalstructure, such as a screen enclosure, comprising: an elongated beamhaving a plurality of walls, each of said plurality of walls forming aninternal cavity including an interior surface and an exterior surface; areinforcing material preferably a flowable, strong, conglomerateconstruction material that hardens and gains strength when cured, suchas a cementious building material (e.g., cementious grout) or foam,disposed within the internal cavity, whereby the cured reinforcingmaterial and walls form a strong, composite structural member. Theinvention further comprises a layer of sealant and/or protectant appliedon the interior surface of the walls of the beam to prevent interactionbetween the reinforcing material (e.g., concrete, cement, cementiousgrout) and the walls (e.g. aluminum or metal or alloy). The inventionfurther comprises one or more reinforcing rods (e.g. rebar) extendingfrom a slab or footer into the internal cavity. The rods may be omittedwith the use of foam but are preferred with the use of concrete, cement,or cementious grout.

As a method of reinforcing structural members, the invention comprises(1) inserting and securing one or more reinforcing rods into aslab/footer upon which the structural member is being placed, (2)positioning an elongated beam/column having a plurality of walls, eachof said plurality of walls forming an internal cavity over thereinforcing rod, (3) filling the internal cavity with reinforcingmaterial (such as cementious grout or foam). The rods may be omittedwith the use of foam but are preferred with the use of concrete, cement,or cementious grout. As an additional step, a protective coating can beapplied to the internal cavity of the beam/column to prevent or inhibita reaction between the reinforcing material and the walls (e.g., preventconcrete and aluminum interaction). For beams/columns already in place,the invention comprises the steps of: (1) accessing the internal cavityof the elongated beam/column such as by cutting an access hole into theside of the beam and/or separating the two sections of the beam/column,(2) drilling holes in the slab/footer where the beam/column andslab/footer meet, (3) inserting and securing one or more reinforcingrods into a slab/footer such that the reinforcing rod extends into thecavity of the beam/column, (4) filling the internal cavity withreinforcing material (such as cementious grout or foam). As anadditional step, a protective coating can be applied to the internalcavity of the beam to prevent or inhibit a reaction between thereinforcing material and the walls.

The present invention provides many advantages. For example, use of thesystem will allow screen enclosures to be built with longer spans andtaller walls using smaller dimension extrusions and still meet currentcode requirements. The system is more cost effective than the widelyaccepted method of increasing column and beam sizes and/or decreasingcolumn and beam spacing to meet code requirements.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide asystem and apparatus for reinforcing structural members.

These advantages and other objects will be apparent to those skilled inthe art when viewed in connection with the following description of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantagesand objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular descriptionof the invention briefly described above will be rendered by referenceto specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appendeddrawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typicalembodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered tobe limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explainedwith additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one form of enclosurecomprised of a plurality of aluminum framing components and componentsystems.

FIG. 2 illustrates an extruded beam of the prior art.

FIG. 3 illustrates a reinforced extruded beam/column of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 illustrates sample rebar forms for use with the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a first example reinforced beam and rebar positioningof the present invention when used for retrofitting with an access hole.

FIG. 6 illustrates a second example reinforced beam and rebarpositioning of the present invention when used for retrofitting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, thereis schematically shown one form of pool enclosure 1 constructed ofvarious aluminum framing components including roof beams 2, shown insolid lines in FIG. 1, extending from an existing structure 3 to primaryupright columns 4, at the front wall 5 of the enclosure. In addition,the enclosure 1 includes numerous hollow aluminum extrusions 6, shown indashed lines, used for top rails 7, chair rails 8, corner posts 9, sidewall uprights 10 and purlins 11 to transfer loads and maintain spacingbetween the primary structural members 2 and 4. Extending along thebottom of the side walls 15 and front wall 5 of the enclosure 1 as wellas beneath the front wall purlins 11 and alongside the corner posts 9are 1×2 open back aluminum extrusions 16, shown in longer dashed linesin FIG. 1, for use in attaching screens at these points.

The particular enclosure 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a dome shape roof 17.However, it will be appreciated that the roof may be of other shapesincluding mansard, gable, flat, gable/hip and shed. Moreover, theenclosure may be of other types including patio and glass enclosures andthe like.

Extruded beams/columns (hereinafter collectively referred to as “beams”for simplicity, such as those used for supporting screening materialaround patios, pools, porches, etc, are well known in the art and havebeen manufactured in a wide variety of shapes. An example of one suchbeam is shown in FIG. 2. The beam 20 is constructed of a pair of “C”shaped halves 22 and 24, and are connected along respective upper andlower serrated interfaces 32, 34 forming an interior cavity. Such beams20 are provided in whatever length is appropriate to the design of thestructure. Beam halves 22 and 24 can be connected by any conventionalmeans, such as by use of a sheet metal screw, rivet, or other fastener(not shown). Channels “c” (spline grooves) are provided, which are usedto receive the beaded edge (not shown) of a section of screen.

Such beams, being structural members of a screen enclosure, are subjectto forces brought on by gravity, wind, loads and the like. With the everincreasing size of today's screen enclosures and other structures whichutilize similar structural members, and with the increasingly stringentbuilding code specifications for such members, it is desirable toprovide an apparatus, system and method for inexpensively andefficiently reinforcing such beams but only in the areas wherereinforcement is called for.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is disclosed a modified beam 30 inaccordance with the instant invention. Beam 30, like beam 20 of FIG. 2,is comprised of a pair of halves 22, 24, which meet along serratedinterfaces 32, 34, and which can be fastened together using any suitablemeans, such as coated stell screws inserted through the serratedsurfaces 32, 34. Channels “C” are provided for the reasons specified inconnection with FIG. 2. The improvement provided by this invention isfound by filling the beam 30 with a reinforcing material 50 such ascementious grout or foam 50. In order to prevent a reaction of thereinforcing material, the interior surface of beam 30 is coated with asealant or protectant.

Specifically, the invention comprises an elongated beam having aplurality of walls, each of said plurality of walls forming an internalcavity including an interior surface and an exterior surface. Areinforcing material 50 preferably a flowable, strong, conglomerateconstruction material that hardens and gains strength when cured, suchas a cementious building material (e.g., cementious grout) or foam, isdisposed within the internal cavity, whereby the cured reinforcingmaterial and walls form a strong, composite structural member. Theinvention further comprises a layer of sealant and/or protectant appliedon the interior surface of the walls of the beam to prevent interactionbetween the reinforcing material (e.g., concrete, cement, cementiousgrout) and the walls (e.g. aluminum or metal or alloy). The inventionfurther comprises one or more reinforcing rods (e.g. rebar 52) extendingfrom a slab/footer (hereinafter collectively “slab” for simplicity) intothe internal cavity.

As a method of reinforcing structural members, the invention generallycomprises (1) inserting one or more reinforcing rods into a slab uponwhich the structural member is being placed, (2) positioning anelongated beam having a plurality of walls, each of said plurality ofwalls forming an internal cavity over the reinforcing rod, (3) fillingthe internal cavity with reinforcing material (such as cementious grout)or foam. As an additional step, a protective coating can be applied tothe internal cavity of the beam to prevent or inhibit a reaction betweenthe reinforcing material and the walls (e.g., prevent concrete andaluminum interaction).

More specifically, during installation of a new structure (e.g., screenenclosure or pool enclosure), the preferred detailed steps of theinvention comprise the following (ordering of which may be altered asknown in the art): Prior to installation, the interior wall of each beam30 (column) is coated with an appropriate sealant to prevent interaction(e.g., concrete and aluminum interaction). It may be applied as known inthe art, for example, with a spray wand inserted into the internalcavity to spray the sealant. Next, the deck/slab/footer is prepared bydrilling the appropriate size and depth holes in the slab sufficient toreceive reinforcement rods (rebar) 52.

As shown in FIG. 4, a variety of shape/size/number reinforcement rodsmay be used with the present invention (52 a, 52 b, 52 c). In oneembodiment, one or more U-shaped #5 reinforcement rods are used. Inanother embodiment, two (or more) upright reinforcement rods/rebar areused. In still another embodiment, one or more “L” shaped rods/rebar areused. The shape, size, position, and number of the reinforcement rods isa matter of design choice and, thus, may be chosen to form the desiredfunction of reinforcement. Moreover, the size, depth, width, spacing,and height of the rebar are a matter of design choice and structuralengineering requirements as appropriate.

The ends of the rebar are inserted into appropriately spaced holes inthe slab. The rebar may be positioned, for example, at a minimum of 1″from the walls and from each other. For example, the rebar may be setapproximately 5 inches (as a preferred minimum) into the slab (thepreferred insertion depth may be marked on the rebar with paint or adepth plate). The rebar may then extend upwards to a preferred maximumdistance of 5 inches from the top of the beam/column. A further methodof bonding may include using a short length of wire (e.g., 14 gauge)with a washer welded or attached with ground lug to rebar and attachedto the wall of the beam/column with a screw or the like. Adhesive may beused for the slab/rebar connection as known in the art, such asultrabond high strength anchoring and doweling epoxy meeting ASTMstandard C-881 or equal).

Once the rebar 52 is set in accordance with any cure time, the bottomend of the beam/column 30 is positioned over the rebar 52 so that therebar extends into the internal cavity of the beam. The beam 30 is thenfilled from the top (or other access point if necessary) withreinforcing material 50, preferably a form of cementious grout or foamthat has an appropriate strength upon curing. For example, a minimumstrength preferably is 3000 PSI at 28 days for cementious grout. Thebeams/columns may then be connected to the eve rails through a lintelaluminum shape that may also be coated.

For beams already in place, the invention as illustrated by example inFIGS. 5-6 comprises the steps of: (1) accessing the internal cavity ofthe elongated beam such as by cutting an access opening into the side ofthe beam 30 or separating the “C” shaped halves, (2) drilling holes inthe slab where the beam and slab meet, (3) inserting one or morereinforcing rods 52 into a slab such that the reinforcing rod extendsinto the cavity of the beam and then closing the access point and/orrefastening the “C” shaped halves, (4) filling the internal cavity withreinforcing material 50 up to a predetermined amount or height (such aswith cementious grout or foam). As an additional step, a protectivecoating can be applied to the internal cavity of the beam prior tofilling to prevent or inhibit a reaction between the reinforcingmaterial and the walls.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, to retrofit an existing structureto have reinforced structural elements, one method of the inventioncomprises the following steps (ordering of which may be altered as knownin the art): First, an access opening 60 is made at or near the bottomof the beam/column 20 in order to install the reinforcing rod(s) (rebar)52. Preferably, the interior cavity is accessed by cutting a smallopening in the side of the beam/column 20 of sufficient size to be ableto drill one or more holes 62 in the slab 64 and install the rebar 52.Since the opening 60 will likely be along the side of the column 20, thedrill will be at an angle of about 15 degrees when it drills into theslab 64. Accordingly, the rebar 52 may be shaped to match the angle ofthe drill hole and extend into the cavity of the beam/column 20. In apreferred embodiment, an L-shaped #5 rebar at about 15 degrees is used(See 52 c of FIG. 4). The end of the rebar 52 is inserted into theangled hole 62 in the slab 64. Adhesive is used for the slab/rebarconnection as known in the art. The size, depth, width, spacing, andheight of the rebar are a matter of design choice and structuralengineering requirements as appropriate. The angle of the holepreferably matches the angle of the rebar and is not necessarily set at15 degrees. The opening 60 in the wall of the beam/column is thenclosed. Next, the interior walls of each beam (column) is coated with anappropriate sealant to prevent interaction (e.g., concrete and aluminuminteraction). It may be applied as known in the art, for example, with aspray wand inserted into the internal cavity (preferably from the top)to spray the sealant. Once the rebar 52 is set in accordance with curetime, the beam 20 is then filled from a top access point (or otheraccess point if necessary) with reinforcing material 50 up to apredetermined amount, preferably a form of cementious grout that has anappropriate strength upon curing or foam. For example, a minimumstrength preferably is 3000 PSI at 28 days for cement. In an alternateembodiment, the interior walls of the beam may be pre-coated with acoating/sealant/protectant prior to assembly and/or installation.

Another retrofitting method, as shown in FIG. 6, comprises the followingsteps (ordering of which may be altered as known in the art): First, the“C” shaped halves 22, 24 of the beam/column 20 are separated in order toinstall the reinforcing rod(s) (rebar) 52. In one embodiment, two (ormore) upright reinforcing rods are used (See 52 a of FIG. 4). Holes 62are drilled in the slab 64 for the rebar 52. The end of the rebar 52 isinserted into the hole 62 in the slab. Adhesive may be used for theslab/rebar connection as known in the art. The size, depth, width,spacing, and height of the rebar are a matter of design choice andstructural engineering requirements as appropriate. The “C” shapedhalves 22, 24 are then re-attached. Next, the interior wall of each beam(column) 20 is coated with an appropriate sealant to prevent interaction(e.g., concrete and aluminum interaction). It may be applied as known inthe art, for example, with a spray wand inserted into the internalcavity (preferably from the top) to spray the sealant. Once the rebar 52is set in accordance with cure time, the beam 20 is then filled from atop access point (or other access point if necessary) with reinforcingmaterial 50 up to a predetermined amount or height, preferably a form ofcementious grout or foam that has an appropriate strength upon curing.For example, a minimum strength preferably is 3000 PSI at 28 days forcementious grout. In an alternate embodiment, the interior walls of thebeam may be pre-coated with a coating/sealant/protectant prior toassembly and/or installation.

Any suitable coating/sealant/protectant may be used, such as a varietyof paints, clear urethanes, and other suitable coatings. The coatingmaterials may be either organic, such as paint, or inorganic. Inorganiccoatings, such as anodized finishes, convert the outer layer of aluminumto aluminum oxide, producing an extremely durable surface. Applying aclear (organic) coating can further protect the anodized surface.High-performance coatings (fluorocarbons, siliconized acrylics,siliconized polyesters) may be used. One or more coats of bituminouspaint or zinc chromate primer may also be used to provide separation ofthe aluminum from cement-based products. In a specific example, analkali-resistant coating (e.g., heavy bodied bituminous paint) is used.

Any suitable reinforcing material may be used to fully or partially fillthe cavity of the beam. For upright beams/columns, the cavity may befilled partially and/or to any height above or below the height of therebar. The reinforcing material preferably fills the beam to 3-6 inches(as a preferred minimum) above the rebar, preferably leaving 2 inches (apreferred maximum) distance from the top of the beam/column. For roofbeams (or any beams not attached to the slab/footer), a predeterminedamount of reinforcing material may also be added in a similar manner(with or without rebar).

A variety of cementious materials are available to produce suitablecementious slurry with desirable compressive strength and flowproperties. Preferably a cementious grout (a cementious mixture ofPortland cement, sand or other ingredients and water) is used that canbe poured into the cavity.

Another option includes foam (for example, a polyurethane-based productor) or similar lightweight cellular engineering material, preferablycapable of being poured prior to hardening. One type of foam is calledopen cell structured foam. These foams contain pores that are connectedto each other and form an interconnected network. A second type of foamdoes not have interconnected pores and is called closed cell foam.Normally the closed cell foams have higher compressive strength due totheir structures. A special class of closed cell foams is known assyntactic foam, which contains hollow particles embedded in a matrixmaterial. The closed cell structure foams have higher dimensionalstability, low moisture absorption coefficient and higher strengthcompared to open cell-structured foams. Syntactic foams are compositematerials synthesized by filling a metal, polymer or ceramic matrix withhollow particles called microballoons. The matrix material can beselected from almost any metal, polymer or ceramic. For example,polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride, methacrylate, phenoxythermoplastics or combination thereof may be used or an expandablematerial such as a polyolefin, copolymers and terpolymers.

The beams in connection with which the invention is utilized may be ofany particular configuration, one piece, two-piece, or any number ofpieces making up the body of the beam. The only feature that is requiredis that the beam must be capable of being filled with reinforcingmaterial.

The invention is also directed to a method for reinforcing structuralmembers used to create an architectural structure, including the stepsof: providing an extruded hollow beam, preferably made of metal such asaluminum, coating the interior of the beam to prevent interaction withthe reinforcing material, and filling the cavity with reinforcingmaterial. The product by this process is a reinforced beam suitable forscreen enclosures and the like. An entire screen enclosure or otherstructure may utilize this process for one or more of its beams.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect tocertain embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations andmodifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the readingand understanding of the specification. The present invention includesall such equivalent alterations and modifications, and is limited onlyby the scope of the claims.

1. A structural member for use in forming a frame for an architecturalstructure comprising: an elongated beam having a plurality of walls,each of said plurality of walls forming an internal cavity including aninterior surface and an exterior surface; and a flowable reinforcingmaterial that hardens when cured disposed within the internal cavity,whereby the cured reinforcing material and walls together form acomposite structural member.
 2. The structural member of claim 1 whereinthe reinforcing material comprises conglomerate building material. 3.The structural member of claim 2 wherein the reinforcing materialcomprises concrete, cement, or cementious grout.
 4. The structuralmember of claim 1 wherein the reinforcing material comprises lightweightcellular engineering material.
 5. The structural member of claim 1wherein the reinforcing material comprises foam.
 6. The structuralmember of claim 1 further comprising a layer of protective materialapplied to the interior surface of the internal cavity to reduceinteraction between the reinforcing material and the walls.
 7. Thestructural member of claim 6 wherein the protective material comprises asealant.
 8. The structural member of claim 1 further comprising one ormore reinforcing rods adapted to extend from a slab on which theelongated beam is mounted into the internal cavity.
 9. A screenenclosure comprising: a plurality of elongated beams joined to form ascreen enclosure, wherein one or more of said beams having a pluralityof walls, each of said plurality of walls forming an internal cavityincluding an interior surface and an exterior surface; and a flowablereinforcing material that hardens when cured disposed within theinternal cavity of one or more of said beams, whereby the curedreinforcing material and walls together form a composite structuralmember.
 10. A method of reinforcing structural members, comprising (a)inserting one or more reinforcing rods into a slab upon which thestructural member is being placed, (b) positioning an elongated beamhaving a plurality of walls, each of said plurality of walls forming aninternal cavity over the reinforcing rod, and (c) adding a predeterminedamount of flowable reinforcing material into the internal cavity thathardens when cured.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the reinforcingmaterial comprises conglomerate building material.
 12. The method ofclaim 10 wherein the reinforcing material comprises lightweight cellularengineering material.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprisingapplying a protective coating to the internal cavity of the beam toreduce interaction between the reinforcing material and the walls.
 14. Amethod of reinforcing an elongated beam mounted on a slab comprising:(a) accessing an internal cavity of the elongated beam; (b) drilling oneor more holes in the slab where the internal cavity of the beam and slabmeet; (c) inserting one or more reinforcing rods into the slab such thatthe reinforcing rod extends up into the cavity of the beam; and (d)adding a predetermined amount of reinforcing material into the internalcavity.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the reinforcing materialcomprises conglomerate building material.
 16. The method of claim 14wherein the reinforcing material comprises lightweight cellularengineering material.
 17. The method of claim 14 further comprisingapplying a protective coating to the internal cavity of the beam toreduce interaction between the reinforcing material and the walls. 18.The method of claim 14 wherein accessing an internal cavity of theelongated beam comprises cutting an access point into the beam andfurther comprising closing the access point prior to filling theinternal cavity.
 19. The method of claim 14 wherein accessing aninternal cavity of the elongated beam comprises separating the beamalong an interface connection and further comprising re-attaching thebeam along an interface connection prior to filling the internal cavity.